Arrival in Ottawa

Prior to applying to study abroad, I already had full intention on studying abroad when possible. In addition to that, I also had family members that had travelled to Canada, either for work, placement or even to study abroad there! So not only did I already have the decision to take this unique opportunity, I even had decided where I wanted to go! It was of great relief when I saw a letter of acceptance to travel to the country of my choice! The hardest part before leaving was realising that I would not see my friends until the next year. I packed my bags, excited to see what was to come entering a country on my own.

As I first entered Canada, I was shocked almost instantly at what I saw when I left the airport, the air was warm and the sun was blazing. I took my jacket off just to compensate for the heat. It seemed I packed too heavy for such a warm weather. So with my first assumption already out the window, I enter my campus and placed my stuff down quickly to then set off and explore the grounds.

The second thing I noticed was how the place showed similarities to the UK, city wise that is. The structure of buildings reminded me of a busy city area in London. Which may sound minuscule. However, it made me feel comfortable to know what to expect when it came to exploring the place. Everybody I met there was incredibly welcoming, and since I was essentially a freshmen, I took pamphlets upon pamphlets so that I could navigate myself around the campus. Unlike most universities in the UK, uOttawa, at the very least, was incredibly open, some of the buildings would stretch into the city, and every now and then you would find a building somewhere in the main city with a uOttawa sign on it. So at least I knew that on my way to my lectures, I could grab a Tim Hortons and pretend I was a Canadian like everyone else. As I walked around the campus, I was greeted by many friendly guides from Ottawa who were more than happy to lend a helping hand.

I went to my first class of season, technical theatre, I was anxious to see how the classes would be structured and how the students would interact with me. Fortunately, the second I walked into the room I was greeted almost instantly by these two people who then became one of my closest friends. Overall, the first few weeks showed promise, and I was excited to proceed with the further months to come.

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